proverb · Legacy record
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes grass beyond a hill always look greener. It questions whether a distant alternative is being idealised.
What the words are saying
The hill separates a familiar position from one seen incompletely. A useful reading asks what is actually known about the alternative without assuming a wish for change is foolish. Other circumstances may genuinely be better, and the absolute comparison is not evidence.
Everyday example
Someone seeks fuller information about an appealing alternative before judging it against their present situation.
When to use it
Use it to examine an incomplete comparison.
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What it does not mean
A distant alternative is not automatically better, worse or falsely appealing.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 673; PDF page 97
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.